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In this study, the effects of different fabrication techniques on the electrochemical performance of solgel derived La0.6Sr0.4CoO3-δ
(LSC) cathode material for intermediate temperature proton-conducting fuel
cells were investigated. Single-phase, sub-micron LSC powder was used to prepare cathode slurries by a
simple grinding-stirring (G-S) technique and an advanced ball milling-triple roll milling (BM-TRM) technique. The prepared G-S and BM-TRM cathode slurries were brush painted and screen printed, respectively,
onto separate BaCe0.54Zr0.36Y0.1O2.95 (BCZY) proton-conducting electrolytes to fabricate symmetrical cells of
LSC|BCZY|LSC. The thickness of LSC cathode layer prepared by brush painting and screen printing was 17
± 0.5 µm and 7 ± 0.5 µm, and the surface porosity of the layers was 32% and 27%, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed that the layer deposited by screen printing had lower area
specific resistance measured at 700 °C (0.25 Ω cm2
) than the layer prepared by brush painting of G-S slurry
(1.50 Ω cm2
). The enhanced LSC cathode performance of the cell fabricated using BM-TRM assisted with
screen printing is attributed to the improved particle homogeneity and network in the prepared slurry and the
enhanced particle connectivity in the screen printed film.
Keywords: LSC cathode, SOFC, brush painting, screen printing, polarization resistance
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